MDS Leadership Code of Conduct

We include this code of conduct because we want to treat students respectfully.

Our Pledge

In the interest of fostering an open and welcoming environment, we as leaders of the Master of Data Science (MDS) program pledge to making studying under MDS a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and orientation. We pledge to abide by UBC’s Respectful Environment Statement.

We expect students (“you”) to do the same. For more detailed information, see UBC’s Student Code of Conduct.

Our Standards

Examples of behaviour that contributes to creating a positive environment include:

  • Using welcoming and inclusive language
  • Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences
  • Gracefully accepting constructive criticism
  • Focusing on what is best for the community
  • Showing empathy towards other community members

Examples of unacceptable behaviour include:

  • The use of sexualized language or imagery and unwelcome sexual attention or advances
  • Trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks
  • Public or private harassment
  • Publishing others’ private information, such as a physical or electronic address, without explicit permission
  • Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting

Personal Pronoun and Name Preference

If we fail to use your preferred pronoun (she/he/they/zhe/etc.) and/or preferred name, please inform us. We will happily refer to you by your prefered personal pronoun and name.

Our Responsibilities

We are responsible for clarifying the standards of acceptable behaviour and are expected to take appropriate and fair corrective action in response to any instances of unacceptable behaviour.

Scope

This Code of Conduct applies both within online spaces and in public spaces when we are representing MDS. Examples of representing MDS include presence in the classroom, using an MDS Slack handle, MDS GitHub Enterprise account, or any of our social media accounts.

Enforcement

Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behaviour may be reported by contacting us. All complaints will be reviewed and investigated and will result in a response that is deemed necessary and appropriate to the circumstances. We are obligated to maintain confidentiality with regard to the reporter of an incident. Further details of specific enforcement policies may be posted separately.

Consequences of Unacceptable Behavior

Participants who are asked to stop any inappropriate behavior are expected to comply immediately. This applies to any MDS events and platforms, either online or in-person. If a participant engages in behavior that violates this code of conduct, the teaching team may warn the offender and/or engage the MDS Co-Directors to investigate the Code of Conduct violation and impose appropriate sanctions.

Incident Reporting Guidelines

If someone violates the Code of Conduct during a MDS event or in an online space outside of organised events, we ask that you report it to one of the MDS Co-Directors. The current MDS Co-Directors are Varada Kolhatkar and Rodolfo Lourenzutti. An email to kvarada@cs.ubc.ca will be seen by Varada Kolhatkar, and an email to lourenzutti@stat.ubc.ca will be seen by Rodolfo Lourenzutti. To report a MDS code of conduct violation that will not be seen by Varada Kolhatkar or Rodolfo Lourenzutti, an alternative contact person is Milad Maymay, MDS Director, Program Operations & Student Management. His email is maymay@science.ubc.ca .

Have Fun

You’re embarking on a learning-centered adventure with MDS. You will experience hardships to persevere and victories to savour. In order for you to grow intellectually, we need to push you outside of your intellectual comfort zone. It’s okay to feel frustrated. Remember that this is a natural part of your journey. Keep this in mind and have fun!

Attribution

This Code of Conduct is modified from the Contributor Covenant homepage, version 1.4, available at https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/1/4/code-of-conduct.html as well as the Carpentries Code of Conduct.

The idea behind the “Personal Pronoun and Name Preference” and “Have Fun” sections come from the University of Texas at Austin’s sample syllabus.